Shido's Palace
Shido's Palace, also known as the Cruiser of Pride, is a location in Persona 5. It is the Palace of Masayoshi Shido. Profile ''Persona 5'' A world within the Metaverse created by Masayoshi Shido. The Phantom Thieves of Hearts plan a heist to steal Masayoshi's heart in order to reform him before he can be elected as Japan's next Prime Minister and instate his radical policies. The dungeon takes the form of a luxury cruise ship with the sitting atop it, and it sails in a massive sea that engulfs all of Japan. The skyscrapers in the immediate vicinity of the building float half submerged in the water, occasionally being crushed by the oncoming vessel, symbolizing that Shido does not really care about the future of the country as he claims to be but only wants to save himself and his wealthy patrons on an ark. Just like in Futaba's Palace and Niijima's Palace, the Phantom Thieves do not change their clothing until they reach right into the Palace, indicating that Shido's ego is corrupted to the point that he does not see anyone as threats. Devices that transform the party into rats appear in the Palace, as he sees opposition as nothing other than rats. A large amount of members-only areas exist throughout the cruiser, as he only wanted his most trusted associates to reap the benefits of his own version of a nation. It is guarded by Shadows resembling security guards in suits, special assault team and guard dogs. Surprisingly, for such a distorted person, the cognitions in the palace appear as his very own trusted associates that appear as completely normal, although no traces of anything other than his elite connections exist. The team finds that they require five letters of introduction to access the Representative Chamber where Shido's Treasure lies within. These letters are held by Shido's most trusted allies within the Conspiracy who appeared in the hotel where the protagonist, Morgana, Ryuji and Ann celebrated their first victory as Phantom Thieves. After the defeat of the first of them, it becomes apparent that the VIPs aboard the ship are not those of Cognitive existences, but rather direct manifestations of the person's Shadow Self, able to appear due to their powerful bond with Shido. The last introduction letter is held by a Yakuza Cleaner, who will summon Baphomet shadows to attack the party in certain intervals before he is directly confronted. As they are cognitions fused with Shadows, these nobles can be easily talked to and can even socialize with the Phantom Thieves, although they defend their invitation letters at all costs. The only exception is the Former Noble, where the Thieves challenge him instead because he got touchy with Ann. Each of the VIPs also reveals their part of their scheme within the Conspiracy. Politician Ooe explains the subway train pilot rampages are attempts to remove the previous Minister of Transport from office while Shido criticizing his mismanagement. The TV Station President reveals that Junya Kaneshiro had donated a large sum of money to Shido which explains Kaneshiro's impunity before his reformation and that Shido profited greatly from the artwork of Ichiryusai Madarame. The IT Company President masqueraded as Medjed because they already knew the Phantom Thieves cannot target anonymous organizations and their original plan was to admit defeat on the day of Cleanse to boost the popularity of the thieves to a new height. Futaba Sakura's hacking into the impostor's Medjed website was a miscalculation which they did not care about much. He was also responsible for encrypting Wakaba Isshiki's research on the world of cognition and uploading it to a secret domain before it was destroyed, without even knowing what it actually is. Shido also ordered Wakaba's assassination, ruining Futaba's life as a result. Like Kunikazu Okumura, all of these connections had donated money to or cooperated with Shido in assassinations via mental shutdowns of their competitors. In the boiler room of the Palace, the party encounters Akechi who was being assigned by Shido to dispatch them. He reveals himself to be the black mask and also a traitor to both the Phantom Thieves and Shido. In a fit of anger he summons Loki to make a Cu Chulainn and a Cerberus berserk and have them attack the party. After this fails, he steps in and fight himself. When this fails too, as a last ditch attempt to kill the party, he makes himself berserk with Loki to fight again, but was ultimately no match for the party. To make amends for his crimes, he seemingly sacrifices himself to save the party from his own cognitive copy; Shido's very own obedient hitman and puppet to be disposed of later. Based on later events in Royal, if he is truly alive or not is left ambiguous. Once the party locates the treasure, Futaba Sakura hijacks the broadcasting system to send a message that every member of the Phantom Thieves is very much alive and that Shido is behind everything. This angers him, causing his treasure to form. The Confidants of the protagonist all support him unanimously and the party enters the palace one last time to confront Shadow Shido. Despite first unleashing a chariot of the masses, then transforming into a grossly muscular version of himself, he was defeated and the real Shido takes a medication to force a collapse in the palace as a last-ditch attempt to kill the thieves. This was unsuccessful and all of them came out alive. At the next day, Shido confesses all of his crimes in a press conference, but the public does not believe in the Phantom Thieves thanks to a cover-up operation about to be instigated by the SIU, forcing the final heist of Mementos on December 24th. Walkthrough *'Locked chests:' 3 *'Note': The strongest melee weapon for Haru, the Gilgamesh Axe, is in one of the locked chests in the Palace, negating the need to buy it at the Airsoft Shop. The party initially enters Shido's Palace on 11/24. From the starting point, there's nothing aside from the doors in front of the party in the area. The party's clothes will change upon arriving at the Entrance Hall. Entrance Hall Climbing the staircase here will result in a battle with the Guard Dog of Hades, Cerberus. After the battle, following the second deck landing to the south leads to a Treasure Chest containing Corrupt Gear. Following the landing to the north leads to a Treasure Chest containing a Black Kogatana. There are only a couple of breakable objects on the third deck landing. On the fourth deck landing, the party can jump up onto the chandeliers to climb higher in order to reach a chest containing an Idaten Ofuda. Now drop back down and take the door to the east. Central Passage Morgana will direct the group to head directly east and will not allow exploration down the other paths. Follow his directions to the large lion-head doors. After inspecting the doors, the party will split up to gather intel. The protagonist must find and talk to the rest of the party to see what they've found out. There is a Safe Room and a Treasure Chest containing a Model Gun on the northwest side of the halls. There is a Ship Pamphlet on the north side of the central hallway that becomes the Cruise Ship Map key item when taken. A Shadow blocks the stairs going upward on the south side of the area, so speak to the rest of the thieves along the floor to start another meeting. The protagonist will be prompted to head to the Safe Room to discuss information with the rest of the party. The party finds that they will need a letter of introduction from five VIPs which will act as keycards for the locked door to the treasure room. Following this conversation, the party will exit back to the Palace entrance and they will stop the protagonist from re-entering. Head back to the real world. The party can begin fully exploring Shido's Palace on November 25th. Once back at the Safe Room in the Central Hall, head up the stairs to the south to continue onward. Cross the large room and go down the next set of stairs, then go to the southeast door for the Restaurant. Restaurant Going through the hallway, the party will be informed that they will need a membership card to proceed. Backtrack to the previous room, where the party will have to talk to the cognitive guests about the membership card. Talking to the guest on the northeast end of the area will let the party eavesdrop on a conversation saying he has dropped his card, and that he may try picking it up from one of the bars later. The party must find it first. Third Eye will highlight a trail to the bartender with the Membership Card. Back inside of the restaurant, the Waiter will allow the party through. After a cutscene, the party will enter a battle with the cognitive Politician Ooe in the form of Yamata no Orochi. He will buckle under Psy attacks. The party receives a letter of introduction and deliberates on their next target. Afterward, head for the elevator at the northern end of the room. Mid Starboard Hallway The party will enter the Mid Starboard Hallway. The first door to the south will be locked, but interacting with the door will mark it on the map. A statue in the next room will turn the party into mice when in its range, rendering them unable to open new doors or battle effectively. There is a air vent in the southeast corner of the room that must be used, as all other routes are blocked. At the other end of the vent, unlock the door immediately to the south, then head north and through the door. The door to the east is locked which leaves the long room to the west. The room will transform the party into mice again and there are patrolling Shadows. If one is willing to let the security level be raised a bit, the Shadow patrolling nearest to the door can be lured out and destroyed by standing just outside the circle where the party is transformed into mice. Afterward, enter the long room and make a beeline for the hallway to the south, but do not go through the door at the sound end. The door is an area separation that will cause Shadows in the previous segment to respawn, and the Shadows from the long room area will respawn upon entering their zone again. Approach the northern end of the hallway and the party and lure another patrolling Shadow out of the room to get it out of the way. With the number of Shadows reduced in the room, hide on the south side of the couch near the Shadow patrolling along the north wall. Duck into the air vent when its back is turned to reach a hallway to the north. Head west and unlock the door. Interacting with this switch will shut off the statues of Shido that transform the party. This can be checked on the map, as the affected areas will no longer be grayed out. There is a Treasure Chest in the room to the east containing Soul Food. Unlock the door to the south, then head to the central eastern room. Head south from here. The door to the west can be unlocked, but going through it triggers an area reset. Follow the hallway south. The door at the southern end of the hall leads to an elevator to the next area. Following the hallways and unlocked the doors allows easy access while traversing the ship. The room on the southwest end of the area holds a Treasure Chest containing a Black Robe. Head up the elevator when ready. Pool Deck There will be a Locked Chest directly in front of the party when they arrive containing a Life Jacket, Diamond and Garnet. There is also a Safe Room immediately to the south. Down on the pool deck, the former noble can be found sitting at the southwest corner of the area. After speaking with him, the party will need to gather intel from the other cognitions in the area. If the patrolling Shadows were cleared out before speaking to the former noble, they will respawn after the conversation. Talking to the female masked guest cognition at the southeast end of the area will give Ryuji an idea, prompting him to tell the protagonist to head for the bar at the west end of the area. The party will need to enter the fitting room next, but can't use the main door. A vent underneath the stairs that can be accessed from the north side serves as the entrance. Examine the fitting rooms after getting through the vent. Following some dialogue, the party will end up in a confrontation with the Shadow Anomaly Former Noble in the form of Forneus. This boss is weak to Electricity, but drains Ice attacks and nullifies Psy attacks. Following the battle, continue on to the northeast door. Upper Starboard Hallway The party will encounter a Shido statue that will turn them into mice upon entering the northern hallway here. Proceed east to the first hallway heading south, and try to stay behind the shadow to ambush it when the party turns back to normal. Repeat this with the next hallway branching south. Now unlock the door to the west and repeat an ambush in the last hall heading south. Unlock the door to the west and continue south. Unlock the door at the far west end of the hallway and enter the next room to the south. The party will find a button that shuts off the Shido statue in the northern hallway and the next room to the west. The small room to the north contains a Treasure Chest with a Parapsy Ring inside. The door to the south is locked, so the party must reactivate the statues after defeating the Shadow in this room and take the air vent on the south wall. Now unlock the door to the north and go disable the statues again. The party can proceed east, where they will find three Shadows patrolling the nearby halls. Dispatch all three and unlock the door to the northwest. Reactivate the Shido statues and head to the eastern room and go through the air vent on the north wall. Unlock the door to the west and but leave the statues on. Defeat the Shadow in the room to the east, by luring it into the hallway or following it into the southern hallway to ambush it. Next, enter the vent on the south wall. The Treasure Chest at the far west end of the hallway contains an Idaten Ofuda. Unlock the door to the north and go shut the statues off, then return and take the hall to the north. Unlock the door to the west and enter the long room to the north. The hallway east leads to the next area. Back Deck There is a new Safe Room at the bottom of the stairs in this area. Save the game and continue when ready. There is a Treasure Chest underneath the stairs on the north side that contains Classified Armor. The door to the north leads into the Entertainment Hall. Trying to access it leads to an encounter with two Heretic Goats. Once they're defeated, the party can proceed. Entertainment Hall There is a Locked Chest at the far end of the hallway after going down the stairs that contains a Gilgamesh Axe, Garnet and Magic Ointment. Now the party must look for the TV Station President on the floors. There is another new Safe Room on the next floor down. Head for the lowest floor in the area to start a cutscene, resulting in a battle with the Shadow TV President taking the form of Hanuman and two Raging Bird Gods as backup. Hanuman will use Reverse Rub to increase the attack power of his allies and attack with Physical and Electricity attacks. Ice skills will strike his weakness. After the battle, the party will receive another letter of introduction, and can proceed into the door on the northwest side of the next floor up to continue to the Lower Port Hallway. Lower Port Hallway In the large room, the only available path is through the southwest door. At the southern end of the hallway, take out the patrolling Shadow, then activate the statue of Shido at the button. This will allow access to an air vent at the south end of the hallway. Once through, unlock the door to the east and deactivate the statue again. Now exit the previous room to the north and unlock the east door, then proceed to the next room. By unlocking the surrounding doors and clearing the patrolling shadows, the party can safely activate the statues and take a southern air vent in the west room to reach a hallway with a Treasure Chest holding a Spirit Choker. Taking the hallway to the north, unlock the door to the large room and then keep north. Head for the room to the northeast and activate the Shido statues, then enter an air vent in the hallway to go south. From here, the protagonist can unlock the door to the northwest. After clearing out the cluster of three rooms, activate the statues again and head to the east room to the north of the long room. A vent will allow access into the far east hallways. Take them back to the main room, then head south along the west wall to reach a vent. The door to the south leads to the next area. Side Deck There is a new Safe Room to the west. The air vent to the east is blocked, so head through the west. The party will once again be forced into an encounter, this time against three Heretic Goats. Afterward, continue west and enter the door. Mid Port Hallway This area has alternating rooms containing Shido statues. Head to the room to the north and follow the patrolling Shadow north to ambush it when the party reverts to human form. Repeat this for the next room to the north and then push the button to deactivate the Shido statues. After clearing the Shadows from the rooms that the party can access, reactivate the statues. The southwest room contains a breakable object, and can be accessed through an airvent in the central west room. The center northern room has the vent leading into the unexplored area to the north. The elevator at the northwest end of the area leads back to the Central Hall. Central Hall After some discussion, head for the restaurant again. Speak to the waiter at the southeast side of the restaurant to be directed back towards the Side Deck. Head there now. Side Deck There will not be a single Shadow patrolling the area. On the east end of the area, climb up onto the ledge and follow the path to upwards until the path splits. On the east end of the path, there is a Treasure Chest containing an Exorcism Water. Now head west to reach an open door. There are no hidden items in the partitions and the yellow doors indicated on the map cannot be accessed. The party will be prompted to confirm that they wish to enter the open door. After the cutscene, the party will enter a battle against the Shadow IT President in the form of Oberon and two Scandalous Queens. The Shadow IT President can also summon more Scandalous Queens to replace the two as they are defeated. Personas with Psy skills will handle the Scandalous Queens while Personas with Nuclear moves can be used on the Shadow IT President. The party will receive another Letter of Introduction after the battle. Now descend back to the first deck. Save and prepare at the Safe Room as needed, as there are three fixed encounters in the next area. Head east to the air vent by the boat blocking the path. Busting it open and going through the vent will lead to the Engine Room. Engine Room The party will be launched into a battle with four Heretic Goats upon exiting the vent. The party must then follow the target deeper into the area. At the bottom of the stairs, there is a Locked Chest containing a Bead Chain and a Diamond at the east end of the hallway. The doorway is locked, so follow the hallway west to jump up into another air vent. The party will be prompted to confirm entering the room. The Shadow Cleaner takes the form of Ongyo-Ki to attack the party. He will attack using Physical and Darkness skills, along with using buffs and debuffs. Afterward, the party receives the final Letter of Introduction and deliberates over sending the calling card. Heading north and attempting to leave the area leads to the next encounter. Goro Akechi will move to face off against the party. At the start of the battle, he will summon a Guard Dog of Hades and Spear-wielding General and use his abilities to drive them berserk. After they fall, Akechi will enter the fray himself, using Robin Hood and its abilities. Defeating him in this form leads to a cutscene. Afterward, he will take on his true appearance and summon Loki to battle. In this form, he will use Physical and Darkness skills, as well and Tetrakarn and Makarakarn to keep the party from successfully landing attacks. If the protagonist recruited Titania earlier in the ship or otherwise gained her from fusion, her Makara Break skill can negate Akechi's Makarakarn. After the battle ends and the cutscenes complete, the only path available to the party will be to the north. Exiting the door automatically sends the party to the doors in the Central Passage. Taking the elevator behind the doors leads to the Assembly Hall, where the Palace Treasure is located. After some dialogue, the protagonist will be given the option of leaving the Palace or continuing to explore. In the area of the Side Deck the party was warped from, there is nothing but an empty path back to a drop near the Safe Room. Treasure Shido's Treasure is his legislator's pin which takes the shape of a golden helm's wheel floating above the ship. This is reflective of his warped view that he is the only person who can "steer Japan" in the right direction. After the defeat of his Shadow Self, the real Shido takes a medicine to enter suspended animation in order to kill the Phantom Thieves and prevent the Treasure from being stolen, but the Thieves escape in time and Shido begins to repent for his actions. The pin itself, however, has no monetary value, leaving the Thieves unable to sell it. Persona 5: Dancing in Starlight The top floor where the showdown with Shadow Shido takes place acts as one of the dancing stages of the game, for the song Rivers in the Desert. The engine room where Goro Akechi was fought in acts as one of the DLC stages for him. Gear Upgraded gear that becomes available once Shido's Palace becomes accessible. Melee= |-| Ranged= |-| Armor= |-| Accessory= **Indicates higher leveled Personas than what is available in the Palace. Itemization will be restricted to one item in the next major area. ***Indicates higher leveled Persona that is only available in NG+. Itemization will be restricted to one item on the next major area. List of Enemies Bosses Trivia *A neon sign on the side of the ship has the words "The arc of elite." *The submerged city symbolizes both the progressively rising sea level because of climate change and the economic state of Japan which is still struggling to recover from the burst of asset price bubble in 1992. **It might also symbolize Shido's disregard for the future of Japan, letting the entire nation sink into the sea while only he and his associates survive in his ark. *Shido's Palace is the second cruise dungeon in the series after Nichirinmaru from Persona 2: Eternal Punishment which also happens to be the headquarter of the conspiracy. *Shido's Palace is likely a Noah's Ark reference. It is a cruise where the rest of the world is flooded and the background music is "Ark." ** "Ark" also samples melodies from "Tokyo Daylight," implying Shido desires complete control over Tokyo. *The ship's design, aside from The Diet Building at the front of the superstructure, is clearly based on the RMS Queen Mary 2 luxury ocean liner. *During the animated cutscene that reveals the ship, the protagonist isn't wearing his glasses at all. However both before and after, he clearly is. *The party cannot use a Goho-M after defeating Ongyo-Ki and before fighting Akechi, as the Engine Room where they are fought is located near the entrance of the Palace where the treasure resides, preventing them from skipping the Akechi boss fight. Gallery Category:Persona 5 Locations